Before being acquired by VIA Rail, most of the cars in this series were in regular service on principal Amtrak routes in the United States, and on other excursion routes.

To prepare them for service with VIA, the cars were completely stripped and rebuilt with new components and a new seating layout.

Made from durable stainless steel that is resistant to corrosion, the cars are ensured a long service life.

The yellow and blue lines on these cars are more than mere decoration: they tell train personnel that these trains are equipped with the electric connections (blue line) and drive connections (yellow line) necessary for linking a locomotive to the end of a consist.